Current lab members

Baum Lab (Spring 2025); Back (L>R): John Anderson, Ronan Montgomery-Taylor, Walid Lakdari, Katelyn Casey, Anushka Malaiya, Zhen Peng. Front (L>R): Tymofii Sokolskyi, David Baum, Emily Spencer

 

Baum Lab (Fall 2024); Back (L>R): Walid Lakdari, Emily Spencer, John Anderson, David Baum, Yichen Zhuang, Sydney Gargulak, Zhen Peng. Front Center: Tymofii Sokolskyi

 

Dr. David Baum (he/him)

Professor of Botany
Phone: (608) 265 – 5385
Email: dbaum@wisc.edu
Twitter: @baobabbaum
Research Interests: Evolutionary and systematic theory; plant evolution and developmental genetics; origin of life; pollination biology

Curriculum Vitae (Feb. 2025)

 

 

 

Zhen Peng, PhD.
Research Scientist — Evolution, Ecology & Population Biology, Ph.D.
Email: zhen.peng@wisc.edu
Research Interests: Autocatalysis, Origin of life, Chemical reaction networks, Complex systems, Evolution

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tymofii Sokolskyi (he/him)
Graduate Student – Astrobiology and Evolution
Email: sokolskyi@wisc.edu
Research Interests: Evolution-like dynamics of fatty acid vesicles; Origins of autocatalysis.
Website: https://www.tymsokolskyi.com/
Twitter: @globalglobule

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Anderson (he/they)
Graduate Student – Astrobiology and Evolution
Email: jjanderson27@wisc.edu
Research Interests: Origins of biological individuality and complexity

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emily Spencer (she/they)
Graduate Student – Astrobiology and Evolution
Email: espencer7@wisc.edu
Research Interests: Origins of life; Astrobiology

 

 

 

 

 

 


Ronan Montgomery-Taylor
Post-Baccalaureate Intern – Botany, B.S.
Email: montgomeryta@wisc.edu

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walid Lakdari
Undergraduate Student – Biology with Biocore Certificate
Email: lakdari@wisc.edu

 

 

 

 

 

Anushka Malaiya
Undergraduate Student – Biology with Biocore & Dance Certificates
Email: malaiya@wisc.edu
Research interests: Microbial diversity, origin of life

 

 

 

 

Katelyn Casey
Undergraduate Student – Biology
Email: kacasey3@wisc.edu

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lukas Lee
Undergraduate Student
Email: lnlee@wisc.edu